Dali Epicon 2 anyone?

[gregvet]

Has anyone seen or heard the new Dali Epicon 2 speakers? If you have, what did you think?

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

Yup we have a set, i think they are superb. So much so I bought a pair of Epicon 6's for home. The 2's are a superb standmount and the bass is very strong but also exceptionally quick. They are a real step up over the Helicon ( range below ) and a very good development of the Euphonia that they replace. Build quality is very high as you would expect at this price point.

 

[CnoEvil]

Yup we have a set, i think they are superb. So much so I bought a pair of Epicon 6's for home. The 2's are a superb standmount and the bass is very strong but also exceptionally quick. They are a real step up over the Helicon ( range below ) and a very good development of the Euphonia that they replace. Build quality is very high as you would expect at this price point.

Nick, how do they compare with the Kef Ref 201/2s?

Cheers

Cno

 

[gregvet]

Yup we have a set, i think they are superb. So much so I bought a pair of Epicon 6's for home. The 2's are a superb standmount and the bass is very strong but also exceptionally quick. They are a real step up over the Helicon ( range below ) and a very good development of the Euphonia that they replace. Build quality is very high as you would expect at this price point.

What do you advise pairing them with ampwise? Do they pair well with cyrus?

As Cno asks, how do they compare to Kef Ref 201/2's, and also the B&W PM1's?

Thanks for your help

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

I prefer them to the 201's , the bass is on the same level if not more controlled but it is the top end that gets you. Low level listening is rewarding and you find with some serious power they dont fatigue. I dont have enough experience on the PM1s but the last customer who bought a set chose the Epicon over the B&W for the large soundstage rather than the focussed sound of the PMs. He did have a large room though and was looking for the scale.

We run them with the Plinius Hautonga in store as well as the NAD M2/M3 - they produce very different results depending on the sound you are after.

 

[CnoEvil]

I prefer them to the 201's , the bass is on the same level if not more controlled but it is the top end that gets you. Low level listening is rewarding and you find with some serious power they dont fatigue.

Thx Nick, and that is exactly why I like them paired with SS full Class A (MF AMS) or Powerful Valve Monoblocks (Icon Audio/McIntish).

Do I see you've dropped Kef including the Reference range? - is that because you feel the Dali Epicon range (and perhaps others) out-perform them?

 

[SPLAT]

They've got them at AV LAND too as I saw a review of them on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/eHxJHuheWxA

Are What Hi-Fi going to review these?

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

I prefer them to the 201's , the bass is on the same level if not more controlled but it is the top end that gets you. Low level listening is rewarding and you find with some serious power they dont fatigue.

Thx Nick, and that is exactly why I like them paired with SS full Class A (MF AMS) or Powerful Valve Monoblocks (Icon Audio/McIntish).

Do I see you've dropped Kef including the Reference range? - is that because you feel the Dali Epicon range (and perhaps others) out-perform them?

We are no longer supporting KEF but that is for a number of reasons not just performance. I do believe the Epicon 2 out performs the 201's particularly as they do not require such a large investment in partnering electronics to shine. It is horses for courses though and a good demonstration, not just a quick listen , is essential to form an opinion.

 

[CnoEvil]

We are no longer supporting KEF but that is for a number of reasons not just performance. I do believe the Epicon 2 out performs the 201's particularly as they do not require such a large investment in partnering electronics to shine. It is horses for courses though and a good demonstration, not just a quick listen , is essential to form an opinion.

Thank you for the straight forward answer...and the 201/2 do need very well driven to sound near their best. The reason for the questions is that I've never had the opportunity to hear the Dalis.

 

[Diamond Joe]

They've got them at AV LAND too as I saw a review of them on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/eHxJHuheWxA

Oh good, I've been meaning to pop in to see them, I'll see if I can blag a listen 8)

 

[gregvet]

Anyone else heard the Epicons, or paired Dali with Cyrus?

 

[gregvet]

Have any more of you heard the Epicons yet? They have been out for a while now so would be good to find out what others think having heard them.

 

[gregvet]

I gather the Epicon 2's were at the Bristol show. Did anyone get to hear them, if so what was running them, and how did they sound?

 

[Chippy_boy]

Yes, I heard them. They were astonishingly good. I sat and listened through a decent section of Pink Floyd's The Wall, which was interesting because they played the same tracks at the show last year, but on the Epicon 6's. Obviously being 1 year apart, it wasn't the ideal A-B comparion ;-)

But nevertheless, they did sound to me just how I remembered the 6's sounding, with tight, crisp bass - though not quite as frightening as with the 6's! - and the same remarkable transparency and wide open sound stage. The kid's quoir singing "Hey teachers leave us kids alone" sounded like the kids were in the room, just incredible.

I rushed home and played the same track on my setup, which is currently Mac Mini feeding Benchmark DAC1-HDR and ICE Power 1000ASP amps made by Wyred4sound feeding Wilson Benesch Arc's. I am a big fan of Wilson Benesch, and this is my 3rd pair having previously owned Curves and some other Arcs.

I have to say I think the Helicon 2's murder my WB Arcs :-( The Arc's produce a remarkable open soundstage of their own, but the clarity of the Helicon's surpasses them I think. Also there seems more bass weight with the Dali's, which the specs would not imply. The Arcs go lower and louder according to both manufacturers' specifications, but this does not seem borne out in practice.

Suffice it to say, I am trying to work out how I can justify finding a spare £4,300 for the Helicon 2's plus stands. That said, my Arcs are very room-friendly with downward facing reflect ports. The Helicon's are rear-ported and I suspect will need a lot more space to avoid sounding boomy and I will have to audition them at home. I had to get rid of the Curves after a room change around because the bass was just too much, sadly.

My one regret is I didn't hang around to have a listen to the Fazon 5's. They look amazing and if they are anything like as good, would be an intriguing option.

 

[iceman16]

I gather the Epicon 2's were at the Bristol show. Did anyone get to hear them, if so what was running them, and how did they sound?

I heard them at Bristol show and they're the one's that really grab my attention. They were connected to some Linn klimax if im not mistaken. The Epicon2 are astonishingly superb IMO